Dark Night Falls
by Snowfire the Kitsune
Summary: When a normal day becomes strange... When a normal town suddenly becomes a battlefield... Where on Earth could this be, and what is the cause for all of these ruins? All is not as it appears...
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own X-Men! Eventually, you will meet the X-Men, but not in this chapter. Oh yeah, I forgot to say that I don't own Indiana Jones either!_

**Dark ********Night ********Falls******

A group of kids stand in front of a school. One kid fights their way out, but gets forced into a car by the rest of the group. The final shove reveals that the kid is a girl, and does not appear much older than sixteen. Unfortunately or fortunately, as our case may be, the door on the other side of the car was wide open and the girl tumbled out onto the pavement. But when she stood up and looked warily for the group that had harassed her, she could find no one. The buildings around her were rubble and dust and debris were everywhere.

She began to walk towards what she thought may have been another human being. But when she got there she had to bite back a cry of horror; for she had found a mutilated corpse. A hand on her shoulder startled her to jump.

"Girl, this place is no longer safe. The military is after mutants like you an' me, an' this is what's happenin' to our kind. You best run along and stay away from spotlights, they killin' everyone they can find…" it was an old man that had placed his wrinkled, pock-marked hands on her shoulders. When he released her shoulders, he noticed the state of her clothing was in much better than anyone who could have survived. "Go quickly and don't let the military catch you."

With that, the old man turned quickly away from the brown haired girl in her nearly spotless black top and slightly dusty blue jeans and fled off towards the sirens, luring them away from the girl. The girl just stood there for a few moments in shock, but shook her head and got her brain thinking and her feet moving. She opted to take the old man's advice, and she stayed as much in the shadows as possible. Sirens came towards her, and she began to frantically look for a place to hide, only to be pulled into what appeared to be an abandoned old apartment building. A hand stifled her surprised scream!

"Keep quiet!" a man's voice whispered, his hand never leaving her mouth in case she had the urge to scream. They stood together in the shadows inside the doorway as the sirens zoomed past them. The man waited a few minutes more before he removed his hand and turned the girl around to face him, "It's not safe to be out there, you should know better!"

"I… Where am I?" the girl held her head in confusion and turned her stare to the dusty, debris covered floor.

The man frowned at her, "You're in… or what's left of Rochester, Minnesota."

"But… that can't be right! This definitely doesn't look like my home town… What's going on?" the girl began to shake in slight shock.

"You were born here?" the man blinked in surprise, "You have no idea what is going on?"

"Well, one minute I'm at school being pushed around by a hoard of bullies, and then I'm flung through a car and roll out the other side into the street. But then the hoard is gone, and everything looks so different…" the girl bit her lip in concern. "Then this old man came up to me and told me that the military caused all this and that I was some kind of mutant and it wasn't safe for me… I don't understand what is going on! All I know is that this is definitely NOT my home!"

"Shh! Keep it down!" the man covered her mouth again, "Now, listen to me. I'll help you as best I can, but you need to keep your voice down! You don't want them to find us, do you?" He removed his hand.

"I don't think I do, but who are 'they'?" the girl gasped in shock as she heard sirens again. The man noticed the sirens a few minutes latter than the girl, but he quickly pulled her to his chest, blocking her sight as the old man that had helped her was destroyed by a pinprick of light. The sirens once again disappeared and the man stared down at the girl whose hands and face were buried in his brown leather jacket. "Shh, it's all right, it's over..."

"They just killed that nice old man that helped me…" the girl pulled away from the man and stared up at him with tears threatening to leak out.

"He should not have fallen, but we must be thankful that we have a chance to get away before they return," the man placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm Marcus."

"Analira," the girl replied softly.

"Nice name," Marcus gave her a brief sad smile. "Follow me," he turned quickly and walked towards the back of the rundown building, only to pull down on a drape-cord. Analira watched in shock as the dusty floor moved to reveal a secret passageway. Marcus had disappeared down the underground passage, and Analira was quick to follow him as the door to the passage began to slide shut. "We're relatively safe down here, but they would find us if we lived down here."

"So, where are we going?" Analira asked curiously.

"It's just around this bend. It's not much, but it's our home…" Marcus opened the door, his eyes smiling as four tiny blurs rushed to him.

"MARCUS!" the four blurs were distinguished as children by Analira's keen eyes.

"Marcus," a rather subdued woman came out carrying a two year old in her arms.

"Vinatsyr," Marcus nodded to the woman.

"Another one?" Vinatsyr merely glanced at Analira as if she was no more important than dirt.

"Ack! Jinaka!" a boy around Analira's age appeared dragging a pouting five year old on his ankle.

"Everyone, this is Analira. Analira, the four clustered around me are Colketta, Haryen, Qentega, and Indiri. The boy with the girl on his leg is Sanil and the girl is Jinaka. The woman holding the kid is Vinatsyr and the kid is Laffayetta."

A little girl with sandy-brown hair ran up to Analira and held up her arms to be picked up. Analira let a warm smile wash across her face as she lifted the little girl into her arms and onto her hip, "Hello I'm Analira, but you can call me Lira."

"I'm Indiri, but everybody calls me Indy," the little girl smiled up at the teen.

"It's nice to meet you, Indy," Analira smiled all the wider. "I'll bet you were nicknamed after Indiana Jones!"

"Who's that?!" Indy blinked in surprise.

"He's a famous archeologist that goes on marvelous adventures, usually against the Russians or the Nazis. Would you like to hear about it sometime?"

"Yea!" Indy grinned happily as she clapped her hands.

"Indiri, get down, now," Vinatsyr demanded coldly, her eyes flashed darkly at Analira.

"Vinatsyr, calm down, Lira has done nothing wrong," Marcus shot the cold-woman a glare.

"What is her power? Did she tell you?" Vinatsyr growled.

"Power?" Analira blinked in confusion.

"She means your mutant ability," Sanil stepped forward.

"Okay… I think you lost me, because the definition of a mutation is a change or being changed. So, you mind running that by me again, and this time explain what a mutant is?" Analira cocked her head to the side in confusion and curiosity.

"You don't know?" Marcus gasped in surprise.

"Lira!" Indy tugged lightly on Analira's hair, "Watch me!" Analira turned her head to the side and watched as Indy held a flower in her palm.

"That's a beautiful flower, Indy," Analira smiled sweetly at the girl.

"Does Lira want the flower Indy made?" Indy asked.

"Sure, why don't you tuck it behind my ear, then I'll look pretty, just like you," Analira kept on grinning.

"Kay!" Indy placed the flower in Analira's hair, but the plant kept growing, until it became a headband for Analira, holding back most of her dark brown tresses. The other three children around Marcus' feet called to Indy and ran out of the room.

"Thank you very much, Indy," Analira winked at the little girl as she placed her on the floor.

"See you later, Lira!" Indy quickly went and Jinaka with her to play with the others, leaving Sanil, Marcus, Vinatsyr, and Laffayetta alone in the room.

"Hope you don't mind, but I think I need to sit down," Analira sighed tiredly as she sat down in a pile of dust.

"You are not a mutant," Vinatsyr growled.

"Actually, I'm not sure. One minute I'm at school and everything is green, bright, and sunny. Then the next thing I know, I'm in what seems like a totally different world," Analira moved until she sat Indian-style, placed her wrists lightly over her knees, and began to reverse breathe.

"What are you doing?" Marcus blinked worriedly.

"Calming down, cause everything that you, that old man, and everyone else has told me just sank in."

"Humph!" Vinatsyr snorted, "You're in shock."

"No, I'm definitely past shock. I think I'm on the verge of acceptance or denial."

"Deny away, little girl," the lady smirked.

"…" Analira let her body relax as she breathed in the air around her, calming her anger towards the woman called Vinatsyr.

"Did you hear me girl?!" Vinatsyr growled.

"I've heard you, but I will not let you cow me," Analira opened her eyes as if seeing a new light. "I am not here to harm you; I'm here to stay away from whatever is so dangerous about those sirens…" Analira's eyes flashed as Laffayetta was nearly thrown to the ground in Vinatsyr's rage. Analira growled as she caught the now screaming child. She held the child close to her and began to hum soothing the young girl back to a near decent slumber. "Never throw a child," Analira glared at Vinatsyr, "especially when you're around me."

"You don't even have any powers, you weakling!" Vinatsyr nearly scowled with rage as she pounded out of the room, her stomping shaking the concrete floor.

"I'm sorry about Vinatsyr, she's usually like this," Marcus sighed. "Sanil, could you watch out for Lira and show her a room?"


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't own X-Men!_

**Dark********Night********Falls******

**2**

"Yeah, no problem Marcus," Sanil nodded. Marcus left the room quickly. "I'm Sanil, sorry about those two, she's in denial and thinks she's not in love with Marcus."

"Analira, or Lira, if you like," Analira shrugged. "Marcus is too old for me, and truthfully, he scares me. It's just a sense I get sometimes."

"What do you sense from me?" Sanil frowned.

"You're a nice guy, a bit less dangerous than Marcus, but it's still a good idea not to mess with you."

"Lira… how long have you been able to 'sense' things?"

"Um, I guess since I was about ten. Something bad happened, but I don't remember it," Analira shrugged.

"Then that's either your mutation or part of it," Sanil smiled.

"Oh, well, I guess that will be useful in the future," Analira smiled. "If it's not too rude to ask, what can you do?"

"I go invisible, and so does anything in contact with me," Sanil blushed a bit.

"That's cool."

* * *

Analira had been living with Marcus and the others in the hideout for a few months. They'd had a few close skims with the sirens, but during that time Analira had convinced Vinatsyr that she was not after Marcus. Everyone got along much better in the hideout.

Just as they all went to lie down for the night, Analira shot up from the bed. Sanil jumped when he saw Analira do the same, "The sirens… they're coming here…" Analira's eyes were wide with fright and horror, but she quickly managed to run into the next room and wake the two adults, Marcus and Vinatsyr. "They've discovered us!" Analira hissed them both awake.

"You know what to do, Lira. Get the others to safety," Marcus smiled sadly down at the residency's little sensor.

"I'll get Laffayetta," Vinatsyr ran to the other room and grabbed the two-year old.

Sanil came in with the other five kids and another girl about twelve; her name was Kuleika. Sanil stared sadly at Marcus, "Let's go."

They quickly ran to another secret door, but this door led to a ladder that would take them across the rooftops, hopefully, unnoticed. Everyone had gotten through the door, except Vinatsyr, who held Laffayetta, and Analira. An anguished cry tore through the building. Vinatsyr thrust Laffayetta into Analira's arms, "Take her and go!" Vinatsyr shoved Analira into the secret passage.

Analira watched as Vinatsyr let a tear slip down her face, "Mama-Vina!" Analira saw a single proud smile cross Vinatsyr's face before the door was shut.

"Let's go, Faye," Analira stilled her tears, knowing that she would have time to cry latter. Soon she caught up with Sanil and the others.

"She stayed," Sanil frowned.

"San…" Analira placed the hand that wasn't holding Laffayetta on his shoulder, "We need to keep moving."

"Over the tracks and into the woods," Sanil sighed. They continued to run until they made it over the vast amount of rooftops. They were all tired, but they had to keep going, knowing what would happen to them if the siren's got them.

"Kuleika, get them across those tracks and into the woods! Now!" Analira yelped as she nearly tripped over the tracks that they were crossing. "The sirens are getting closer!"

"Run to the woods!" Sanil yelled to the kids. That definitely got everyone moving faster. They got to the woods just in time, for the sirens would not cross the tracks. They heard a woman's scream of agony and they saw a flash of light, but they still continued deeper into the woods.

"I think we've gone far enough," Sanil gasped tiredly. The five children and Kuleika collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "Well, find a safe place to rest."

"There's no place that's safe from the sirens!" Kuleika nearly cried.

"There is," Analira glared at the doubting girl.

"Then why didn't we go there sooner?!" Kuleika yelled at Analira.

"We had no means of transport," Sanil muttered.

"I found a motorcycle in fair condition, but we needed a car or van to fit the rest of you," Analira snorted. "I found one yesterday. We were going to leave in the morning, but as you can clearly see, we no longer have a choice, we're leaving now."

"Where is this vehicle?" Kuleika sneered.

"Just a bit further," Sanil replied.

"Sanil, take Faye," Analira passed the child to the boy quickly and blocked a punch by Kuleika. "San, get the rest of them to the vehicle! I'll deal with this!" Sanil ushered the other children further into the forest. "Traitor, I knew you'd turn on us the minute you entered our home!"

"Well, it pays to have powerful allies, and I so happen to have the greatest!" Kuleika laughed hollowly as she tried to hit Analira in the gut.

"I'm sorry," Analira frowned as a dagger appeared in her hand and she stabbed Kuleika in the heart, twisting the knife and killing the traitorous girl. "You would have lived if you had not betrayed us," Analira sighed tiredly as she wiped the bloodied knife on some nearby moss. She then ran until she met up with what was left out of their sorry little band.


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own X-Men!_

**Dark********Night********Falls******

**3**

"You okay?" Sanil frowned in concern.

"You know what I had to do," Analira swallowed hard as she looked him anywhere but in the eyes.

"I'll drive the vehicle, you take the bike," Sanil sighed.

"I'm sorry, San," Analira lost it when she saw that all the kids, including Laffayetta, asleep in the vehicle.

"I know, Lira. You're safe, you're keeping them safe, they'll understand," Sanil pulled the girl into a hug. He held her for a few moments, "We have to keep moving until we find a safe place, Lira."

"New York," Lira whispered into his ear. "There is a safe place for us in New York."

"Then that's where we'll go," San pulled away from her and stared deeply into her eyes before he handed her a helmet and Marcus' leather jacket.

"I'll lead," Lira swallowed hard and made her to the motorcycle, put on the jacket and helmet, and plopped down onto her ride. Soon the engine came purring to life and she led the van out of Minnesota and towards New York.

* * *

The group of kids had almost reached the borders of Bayville, when Analira pulled her bike to ride alongside Sanil in the car, "San, make the car and everyone in it disappear for a little while…"

"Someone is coming?" Sanil frowned.

"Yeah, and I can't sense their intentions," Analira spared him a short glance before turning her gaze back to the road. They continued onward with the vehicle now under Sanil's invisibility gift.

Analira sped a little ahead of the car, being able to sense all of her surroundings. She spied a man astride his motorcycle coming their way. She could feel his piercing gaze on her, and she tried to calm her nerves to prepare her if she needed to hurt this man.

The man stopped directly in front of her, she felt Sanil stop a mile or so back to keep the rest of them safe. The man turned off his bike and took off his helmet, "Somethin' about you don't smell right."

Analira stopped her bike and pulled off her helmet, "What do you want?"

"I want to know who you are," the man growled out. "Especially since you smell like blood." The man watched as the girl flinched slightly.

"That is none of your business," Analira replied in an icy tone.

"But you're heading towards my city," the man growled again.

"Look, I'm not here to hurt anyone, unless they attack, chase, shoot, fire, or try to harm me or anyone I know. That a good enough explanation for ya?"

"N…" the man began, but watched as the girl turned towards a bush near the side of the road.

"Shit!"

"Wolverine!" a large muscled brute that resembled a cat charged at the man, but at the last second charged Analira.

Analira knew he would change his target, and at the last possible moment, she dodged the cat-man, "I take it he's an old acquaintance of yours?"

"You could say that…" the man called Wolverine growled.

"He's behind you."

Wolverine growled as he stopped the cat-man from getting him in the back, "Sabertooth."

"He's got back-up!" Analira notified Wolverine.

"Really? And how do ya know that?!" Wolverine growled as metal claws came from his hands.

"I can sense… SHIT!" Analira took off to her bike, leaped on it and took off towards where she had seen Sabertooth headed. Wolverine wasn't far behind her.

"So, what's he after now?"

Analira growled angrily as she kicked her bike into overdrive. She angrily sped down the road until she saw a pleasing surprise. "I should have known that they'd be okay."

"Lira! Jinks, Colt, Rye, and me all tied the kitty-man up!" Indy grinned happily as she ran up to Analira.

"That's good Indy," Analira sighed happily. "San, is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Sanil appeared from seemingly nowhere with the vehicle, Faye in his arms and Qentega clutching his ankle.

"Who are you?" Wolverine gave a worried glance at the girl that had been called 'Lira.'

"I'll tell you if you answer me one question."

"Depends on the question, but go ahead and ask away," Wolverine huffed.

"Do you have any sirens? Have they affected Bayville?"

"Sirens? As in the things on cop cars?" Wolverine blinked in surprise.

"That's a good thing," Analira sighed tiredly. "My name is Analira, these are my traveling companions: Sanil, Laffayetta, Qentega, Haryen, Colketta, and Indiri."

"You all mutants?" Wolverine frowned.

"That is a question for another time," Lira replied coolly. "Quin, go ahead."

"Urgh!" Wolverine growled in irritation as he was blinded by light.

"Back in the vehicle, and no disappearing," Lira watched as her group piled into the vehicle they had commandeered in Rochester, and she mounted her bike. Then they all took off towards Bayville, leaving an angry, blind Wolverine, and an enraged, tied-up Sabertooth.


	4. Chapter 4

_I don't own X-Men!_

**Dark********Night********Falls******

**4**

Continuing down the main road that they were on, Lira led the way to one specific location, hoping to all hopes that nothing else would get between them and safety. Finally, Lira sighted the mansion. The group drove up to the gates, and Lira pressed the intercom.

"Hello, Professor Charles Xavior's Institute for the Gifted. How can I help you?" a female voice broadcast to the group.

"My friends and I need to speak with the professor or someone in charge! It's an emergency!" Lira tried to keep herself calm, but she could literally sense someone coming their way, and it was making her very jumpy.

"The professor will see you now, just come up to the house and leave your vehicles in the drive," pleasant voice over the line cut off as the large gates opened to reveal a carpet of lush green grass on either side of the drive. Lira and Sanil quickly entered through the gates and a feeling of safety crashed over them in waves as the gates shut with a loud clang. They continued up the drive and finally to the front of the house.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Munroe, if you will follow me I will lead you to the professor," a woman with odd white hair, caramel-like skin, and brown eyes greeted them, dressed in a sporty emerald-green t-shirt and black pants. The group piled out of the vehicle, the sheer small number of youngsters surprising Ms. Munroe to near speechlessness as she quickly led them to the professor.

"Come in," a wizened male voice with a slight English accent came from the other side of the door. The door opened to reveal a solitary man in a wheelchair. "Now, what is it that you have come to see me about?"

"Professor, we're from Rochester, Minnesota," Lira swallowed nervously, but relaxed a bit as Sanil handed Faye to her.

"I'll take care of it, Lira. You've done enough for one day," Sanil placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Professor, our city was destroyed by beings that hunt mutants. We call them 'sirens' because right before they come, you hear them. They leveled the town and killed all of the humans and mutants that they could get their hands on. We're not sure about everything, because two of our friends were killed earlier and they would have known more… but we need someplace safe. We had to… Colt, could you take Faye and the other girls outside the door for a moment?"

"Okay San, but what if someone attacks us?" Colt frowned.

"Then I'll sense it before it happens and get them first," Lira gave Faye to Colt, and then the only ones left in the room were Ms. Munroe, the professor, Sanil, and Analira.

"One of our group betrayed us…" Sanil began, as he took Lira's hand. "We've done what we had to do in order to keep the younger kids safe."

"I… I had to kill a girl…" Lira hung her head, but no tears came. "She threatened to bring the sirens down on us... and she gave me no choice when we fought."

"I understand, and we will gladly accept you into our school, but do any of you have last names?"

"I do, but not all of us do…" Lira bit her lip. "My last name is Highwayman and I have a sixth sense."

"So, you are Analira (Lira) Highwayman. What of the others… do any of them have last names?" Ms. Munroe questioned.

"I'm Sanil (San) Knot and I turn myself and anything invisible and back. And if you'll let me bring in the others, it will make things go faster," Sanil watched as the professor gave an affirmative. "Common guys, it's okay to come back in. Now, why don't you give the professor your names?"

"Kay, I'm Indiri (Indy) Jonez and I have control over plants, I'm four," Indy had her sandy-brown hair in pigtails, and her clothes were in similar shape to the rest of the group, which was to say, that they weren't much to look at.

Indy pushed a young boy with short, shiny blue hair forward, "I-I'm Colketta (Colt), I have no last name, and I'm seven. I can make any kind of artillery suddenly appear and I will suddenly know how to use it."

"I'm Haryen (Rye), I have no last name, and I'm six. I have some control over sound waves," another boy stepped forward with curly, shoulder length, red hair.

"I'm Jinaka (Jinks) Tan, I'm five, and all I can really explain about my power is that it has something to do with pranks," a short blonde girl with amber eyes smirked mischievously at the professor.

"I'm Qentega (Quin) Roset and I am a human light bulb. This tyke is Laffayetta (Faye) Roset, she's my little sister, and she has what we call rewind and fast forward," Quin and Faye both had black hair, with purple highlights. Quin was fairly tall for a six year old boy.

"Lira and I are both sixteen," Sanil watched as the professor took every detail in.

"You are welcome to stay here, but you should know that we require you to go to school…"

"Professor, I'm going to suggest that we all get counseling by you or another teacher we can trust. We've all seen things we should never have seen…" Lira stared at the professor's desk, her eyes downcast.

"Lira, we are not judging you. We understand far better than you can know," the professor soothed the entire room with that single statement. "I agree, but you will have to come to one of us or a person you trust to confide in. Is there any room arrangement that you would find comfortable?"

"Professor, I know this is a bit irregular, but we usually slept in the same room or bed with our age group. We would feel safer that way…" Sanil frowned.

"San, we can split into girls and boys. That would probably more appropriate, and maybe we could have an adjoining room next to each other… If that is not too much to ask, professor," Lira felt better as Indy grabbed her leg for security.

"I suppose that could be arranged," the professor smiled.

"Professor, there is a man called Wolverine headed this way," Lira frowned. "He almost attacked us, but another man by the name of Sabertooth attacked us first. The kids trapped the cat-man, and Quin momentarily blinded the man called Wolverine. He is not happy that we are here."

"Like, those kids defeated Sabertooth?" a girl walked through a wall into the professor's office.

"Kitty, you need to knock when my door is closed, you know that," the professor frowned at the valley girl.

"Like, sorry professor, I forgot," Kitty blushed.

"Well, Ororo, will you please take all of our recruits to their new rooms?" the professor smiled politely at Ms. Munroe.

"Of course professor. If you would follow me…" Ms. Munroe motioned the small group towards the door when Wolverine burst into the room.

"Charles! How can you let them in here?!" Wolverine growled at the professor.

"Calm down Logan, they are running from a very large and powerful enemy," the professor tried to calm Wolverine (Logan) down.

"Professor," Lira stepped forward, and away from the group. "Perhaps it would be best if you showed this man my memories. It would be a way to help both of you understand what our common enemy is, and why I'm not like anyone you'd normally run across," Lira sat down in front of the professor and let him hold her head. Logan growled and placed his hand on the professor's shoulder and was suddenly pulled into Lira's memories.

"Urgh!" Logan slumped to the ground in pain.

"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I'd thought it would be," Lira smiled politely at the professor when he chuckled.

"How are you, Logan?" the professor smiled.

"I feel like you ran a train over me…" the entire group of kids glared at him and ran to Lira before he could even let out another word.

"Um, guys, it's okay. Don't cry Indy, we're where Marcus wanted us to be," Lira wrapped her arms around the little girl and pulled her into her arms before standing up and urging the group to follow Ms. Munroe to their new rooms.

"You will meet lots of other students, but none quite as young as that baby," Ms. Munroe motioned to Faye in Quin's arms. "I'm sure that you will meet many of them tomorrow, but that can wait until you've all had adequate sleep."

"Thank you Ms. Munroe, we really appreciate all that you and the professor have done and are doing for us," Sanil bowed politely as Ms. Munroe gestured to two doors.

"Oh, please call me Auntie O, Ororo, or Storm," Ms. Ororo Munroe smiled at the children before her and began tot walk back down the hall. "Goodnight, children."

"Night Stormy," Indy yawned in Lira's arms while Quin handed Faye to Jinks.

"Girls, tell San and the guys goodnight," Lira laughed lightly as the boys stared at the two doors in shock, setting Indy down on the floor.

"Night Quiny, Rye, Colt, and Sanny," Indy and Jinks chorused, while Faye waved at the boys.

"Night Indy, Jinks, Faye, and Lira," Quin, Rye, and Colt yawned their reply and headed into the new room. The two girls quickly ran into theirs.

"Night Lira," Sanil swallowed nervously.

"San, don't worry, there was a reason I requested a door between the rooms," Lira smiled. "Night San."

"…" Sanil could only gape in surprise.

Ten minutes later Sanil was still standing in the same place when Lira poked her head out the door, "Sanil, go to bed. Who knows if we'll get it later…"


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't own X-Men!_

**Dark** **Night** **Falls**

**5**

"Chuck, something about those kids and that girl are very off," Logan growled.

"I know, Logan. Lira is not from our world, and I'm not quite sure how that came about, but she was right that her memories helped to explain a bit more about her little group. It's quite disturbing that another group has managed to eliminate the entire population of mutants in Rochester and many non-mutants as well," the professor frowned.

* * *

"Uh!" Lira woken up as if she had been running a marathon. Her breathing was quick and her heartbeat was quicker. Immediately, as if in response to Lira's waking, the other two girls woke. They noticed the state that Lira was in, but they looked at her with haunted eyes, telling her that they too had nightmares that woke them. Lira smiled gently at her two charges, picked up the small basket that held Faye, and led the girls into the boys' room.

"Hm?" San frowned as the noise of the door opening woke him. He yawned and stretched lazily, as he watched Lira placed Faye near Quin, and then crawled over to his bed. San smiled and lifted up the covers to let her slide in, and then wrapped his arm around her protectively. He grinned as she snuggled into his chest with a contented sigh. He looked to see where the other two girls had gotten to… Jinks had crawled in with Rye and Indy had crawled in with Colt. Both were now sound asleep. "What was wrong?" San whispered.

"Bad dreams," Lira murmured softly as she inhaled San's scent.

"Well, we're safe now," San sighed sleepily as he let his chin rest on Lira's head.

"We'll never be safe, San. We never will…" Lira softly let her tears fall on San's naked torso.

"Then I will always find you and protect you," San whispered into her ear as she fell asleep. "I promise, Lira…"

"Girls, it's time to get... up?" Ororo blinked in surprise as she opened the girl's door, only to lay her eyes on unmade beds. Blinking in surprise, she walked to the boy's door, and when she peeked in, she smiled and let them be. _: Professor, I think it wise to let them sleep in, they can meet the others later. :_

_: Do not worry, Storm, I knew they'd have a lot of rest to catch up on. Frankly, with what I saw from Analira, I'm surprised that they all made it this far…: _Professor Charles Xavior replied.

"Good morning, Logan," Ororo nodded politely to Wolverine as she passed him in the hall. "Care to join me for an early breakfast?"

"I was going to wakeup the newbies."

"Logan, leave them be. I'm sure they'll talk later, but until then, don't..."

"Morning Auntie Stormy!" Indy jumped at Storm and wrapped her in a hug.

"Good morning little one," Storm smiled in reply.

"Morning Uncle Wolfy!" Indy waved at a shocked Logan.

"Storm, Wolverine," San nodded stiffly.

"Are all of you up?" Wolverine growled.

Sanil turned and glared at Wolverine, "Stay away from…"

"Morning Storm, Indy, Mr. Logan, Sanil…" Lira walked in with the rest of the kids attached to her in some way. Faye was in her arms, Jinks had her free hand, and Colt, Rye, and Quin flanked her.

"Good morning Analira," Storm smiled at the sight of one girl being surrounded by so many children.

"I was wondering if there are any sirens on the streets, Mr. Logan."

"Not the kind you're thinking of," Logan grumped.

"Ah, then in that case, would you and Storm take us shopping? We are in need of a few things, and none of us knows who or what to look out for around here. If you could, we'd really appreciate the favor," Lira faced Logan and watched as he turned to each kid's confused face.

Finally he turned back to Lira and grumbled, "Fine. But you aren't going on my bike!"

"I have my own, in case you've forgotten," Lira grinned. "However, I think we should take two vans."

"One adult in each…" Sanil glared at Logan. "I'm with…"

"You're going with Storm, Faye, Quin, and Colt," Lira shot him a look. San nodded angrily and stormed from the room, leaving the others to follow or stay. "Guys, stay with Auntie Stormy and Uncle Wolfy for a moment."

"Sanil! San!" Lira caught up quickly to where the invisible boy was hiding.

"Why are you doing this, Lira? I don't trust him!" Sanil growled at her irritably.

Lira sighed and engulfed the invisible man in a hug, for though she could not see him, she could sense him, "San, I know you don't trust him, and I know how you feel…"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Sanil tried to brush her off of him, but she refused to let go.

"SANIL KNOT! LISTERN TO ME!" Lira yelled at him angrily, "Don't you remember how Vinatsyr treated me when I came to live with you?" Sanil sighed and nodded, "That's the way that Wolverine is treating you. He's scared that we're going to be bad news for this place and all his friends. This is his home, and they are his family. He's only trying to protect them."

"… I'm sorry, Lira…" Sanil turned visible and wrapped his arms around Analira tightly. "I don't know what where I'd be without you."

"You'd be up a creek without a paddle," Lira teased him gently. "Now, I can handle 'Uncle Wolfy' don't worry. If I know Indy, and I do, she'll have him wrapped around her little finger so tight that he won't know how it happened!"

"That's why you're taking Indy," Sanil chuckled.

"Awe, Sanny, you do have a brain!" Lira pecked him on the cheek before running back towards the kitchen, leaving an amused Sanil.


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't own X-Men!_

**Dark****Night****Falls**

**6**

"So, what's eating the kid?" Wolverine grunted.

"You."

"Huh?" Logan raised his brows. "How can I be eating the kid?"

"It's a bit like when I first met Vinatsyr. With you being Vinatsyr, and him being in my shoes," Lira shrugged. "You'll both get over it. Now, as much as I loath shopping, I think it will be a real treat to see what my little troopers reactions are!"

"Your 'little troopers'?" Logan stared at her with slight humor.

"Well, we didn't go through WWII, but with what we all went through, I'd say it was pretty darn close. Who knew laser-guns were real?!"

"So, we'd best get this show on the road, eh?" Logan sighed tiredly as Sanil walked back into the kitchen.

"After breakfast," Storm scolded Logan. Logan scowled slightly and walked off to a deserted corner of the room.

"Bit moody, uncle Wolfy is," Jinks chuckled.

"Jinks, right now I really wish Marc…" Lira stopped as she watched the hurt cross all of the younger children's faces. "… Well, I wish he was here, I'm not sure, but he may not be dead."

"Really?" Colt asked hopefully.

"I didn't feel him die…"

"You didn't?" San frowned. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because I lost him, I couldn't sense him. I know Vinatsyr is gone, but Mark… he's… hard to sense."

"Hard to sense?" San questioned.

"All I can get is that he's closer than where we left him," Lira sighed tiredly. "Please, San, corner me later," Lira's gaze pleaded with his slightly hurt one.

"Fine," San grumbled.

The kids were all in awe of everything around them at the mall, and they tried to go all different directions, even Sanil was having a hard time not running off to explore…

"Logan, could you take the boys clothes shopping? I'll take the girl's and the baby to get essentials."

"Agreed. Meet with you at the food court when we're ready to break for lunch?" Logan asked.

"Agreed."

"Hey, Sanil," Lira whispered. "Make sure you get at least one suit for you and the guys, you may need it later. I'll make sure the girls have dresses or something appropriate."

"Alright, take care of yourself and listen carefully."

"I promise, you be careful too, they have a gang or two around here that is almost as bad as the sirens and harder to run from," Lira whispered and lightly kissed his cheek. "Logan, take good care of my boys."

"Yes madam," Logan chuckled and they each headed their different ways.

Unfortunately, the girls didn't stay out of trouble for too long, they ran into the Brotherhood. Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch sneered at Jinks and Indy. Jinks wouldn't stand for it and so, Wanda had an itty-bitty accident with Todd's aka Toad's ice cream cone. Lira winced as she saw Wanda turn and glare Todd to death, before turning her gaze to Jinks and flicking a small bit of magic in her direction.

Lira yelped as she pulled Jinks out of the way and got in between her charge and the little bit of magic that caused her to get a mild shock, "Stop. Both of you stop it now. Jinks, you know better. And you, quit picking on a little kid… be the more mature one."

"Humph!" Wanda sneered before taking her hand and using her magic to get rid of the sticky smear on the small of her back.

Then Todd tried to attack Indy. Automatically, Indy caused plants to trap Todd and keep him rooted to the floor, literally, "Bad froggy."

"How dare you," Lira's eyes flashed as she tugged Indy closer to her and tried to walk away, when Pietro Maximoff showed up and nearly snatched Faye from Lira's arms. "Indy, get a message to San."

"Done," Indy clutched at Lira's pants, and then she saw Storm.

"Aunty Ro! Aunty Ro! Bad people!"

"Pietro Maximoff, leave them alone," Storm frowned.

San, Colt, Quin, Rye, and Logan nearly ran into Storm as they hurried to save the day, "Lira!"

"San…" Lira sighed in relief, and the Brotherhood quickly sneered and walked off, not liking the odds if they had started a fight.

"I told you to stay out of trouble!" San walked up to Lira and pulled her and Faye into a hug. Indy and Jinks both joined in and so did Colt, Rye, and Quin. It was a group hug.

"Everyone have everything? Shopping done?" Logan asked as they stood in front of the food court. When Storm nodded and then they all went to lunch in the mall.


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't own X-Men!_

**Dark********Night********Falls******

**7**

            At the mansion:

"You need to be more careful, Jinks," San glared at the younger girl. "Not only could the sirens have found us, but we could have ended up kicked out of the mansion due to your…"

          "San, I'm sorry," Jinks pouted and began to cry.

"Sanil, enough!" Lira stared at him incredulously, "Jinks was acting on impulse, and while that impulse was wrong, she doesn't need to be yelled at. That won't help anything. I'll open a nursery at the rate you all seem to be acting."

          "I didn't mean to be so ruff on her…" San winced, "I'm sorry Jinks, I was wrong too."

          "Say sorry to Lira too?" Jinks blinked her tears back and sniffled.

          "Yes, I'm sorry for upsetting Lira too," San sighed in relief as Jinks stopped crying.

          "Good! Now you gotta kiss and get maked up!" Indy giggled.

          Lira and San blushed in embarrassment, but did kiss. That kiss was just the beginning of many good things that came their way…

          "We have a home, are away from the sirens, and we're together. So, shall we set out to find Marcus?" San asked their group.

          "We'll leave no stone unturned!" Colt grabbed the air and pulled it to his chest in a fist.

          "Yeah! We'll find Marcus and be a family again!" Rye agreed and high-fived Quin.

          "So, we're all in this together?" San asked their small family.

          "YEAH!" they all roared agreement.

          "We will help you as well, children," Ororo smiled at them from the door, with Logan and the Professor behind them.

          "I may have a way of finding your Marcus," the Professor smiled.

And together, they would work to find Marcus, but it would be many long years before they would find him, trapped in a compound, much like Logan was, and it took them even longer to get him back to semi-normal.

The hardest blow to Marcus was dealt was hearing of Vinatsyr's death. Marcus never did get over Vinatsyr, but as the years went bye he made sure to live his life to the fullest. He is still often found looking up at the sky and thinking of her…

Sanil and Analira eventually wed, and had a set of triplets to add to their now larger than normal family. The triplets were two boys and a girl. The boys were Wolf and Mark, named after Wolverine and Marcus, and the girl was called Vine, after their fallen mother figure, Vinatsyr.

It was a long, tiring battle, but the X-Men were able to silence the sirens and helped to begin the rebuilding of the town. It would take time, but though they would never forget, they could remember, pass on their stories to others and hopefully prevent the world from making the same mistakes again.


End file.
